The San Francisco 49ers got close to winning their sixth Super Bowl, but came up just short against the Ravens in the Superdome. While they’ve established themselves as a powerhouse for two years running, the NFC also has become the tougher conference chock full of contenders.

The 49ers won the West by the slimmest of margins over the rival Seahawks last season, and those teams should expect to battle for a lot more than the division title again.

Only one of them, however, can get to the playoffs in a pole position. Here’s how Sporting News sees all of the NFC division races playing out this season:

So the Giants are never without their share of issues, but their weaknesses are limited because they lean so much on their strengths: pass rush, running game and the durable, gutsy big-play flair of Eli Manning. Like two years ago, it's more on Manning, and with receivers such as Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Myers and Rueben Randle, he can carry them quite a long way. That includes a return atop the division.

The Cowboys looked like they were a dangerous playoff team at one point last season before not being able to slow down the Giants and Redskins. Shoring up the defense with a well suited 4-3 scheme, they will keep making the big offensive plays without giving them all right back. Tony Romo has been paid a lot to remain their unquestioned starting quarterback, and he'll respond with a mature career-best season that leads to a wild card.

The Redskins will keep throwing off opponents with their offensive wrinkles, finding new ways to make the combination of Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris move the ball in a hard-to-defend balanced attack. Their defense still is a little suspect on the back end, and relying on the blitzes to pay off again will hold them back a bit against the other top passers in this division. Washington, like every other East winner, will learn how hard it is to go back-to-back.

The Chip Kelly experiment will go from the laboratory to the field, and the results will be mixed. On one hand, the speed of Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson will accommodate the pace of what he wants to do offensively. But in a division where shootouts will be the norm, the Eagles, overhauling their personnel for a 3-4, will be giving up a lot to Manning, Romo and Griffin. Vick can do well, but he can only do so much.

The Packers have become the Patriots of the NFC: They always will be the division title favorite and be in the Super Bowl conversation as long as they have that ring-winning quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers' prolific passing can mask a lot of other issues, but his receiving corps is as dangerous as ever and he should get a more respectable rushing attack, too. Going beyond the North crown depends on the 3-4 becoming stable against the pesky zone read.

The Vikings are trying to be more than just Adrian Peterson offensively, but they also don't want to mess with one of the NFL's best formulas: Control the game with the league's most explosive back, and back it up with some physical defensive play to back. The passing game may have better options, but it's still hard to put all faith in Christian Ponder to keep them in the playoffs with a more daunting schedule.

The Bears went all in with their offense, replacing the even-keel, defensive-minded Lovie Smith with seasoned West Coast guru, Marc Trestman. While the defense tries to go on making those big plays without Smith and Brian Urlacher, they're hoping Jay Cutler will make fewer big mistakes under Trestman. Chicago has done its best to cater to Cutler, but it may not be able to ever change Cutler into the consistent playoff QB it expected.

The Lions on paper, with their strong defensive line and potent passing game, are built a lot like the more successful Giants. But what's missing is the discipline and consistency, areas in which they took a huge step back with last year under Jim Schwartz. They can only change their stripes so much, and another sub.-500 record two years removed from a playoff berth will have them headed toward a coaching change.

We saw the Falcons finally take flight with their exciting passing game, and Matt Ryan earned his money for being in full control of it. They got through a major obstacle by winning their first playoff game with Ryan, and can hang with anyone offensively in the NFL. They should maintain a hold on the South, and set their eyes on taking another step in the playoffs, if their pass defense cooperates.

The Saints are again marching to the direction of Sean Payton, and the reunion will feel so good with the big-play quotient in the passing game and better balance from the running game. Payton, however, is an offensive mind, and the defense, trying to come together in Rob Ryan's 3-4, is set up to be not much better than the historically bad unit it was vs. the pass in 2012. That will keep them short of .500 and several games away from first place.

The Panthers are expecting this to be the season Cam Newton delivers the wins, and coach Ron Rivera gets them over .500 with a shot at the playoffs. Those are too high of expectations, given their rough and tumble schedule and limited improvements from the 2012 edition. The strength of the team remains Luke Kuechly and the defense.

The Bucs seem to have everything—exciting, young running back, skilled veteran receivers, a top-ranked run defense, and now an all-star secondary (thanks to Darrelle Revis, Dashon Goldson and Mark Barron). But there's one big thing lacking— reliability and stability at quarterback. Josh Freeman must shake off the frustrating inconsistency, or Tampa will need a change there to turn the page at midseason.

The Seahawks are loaded just about everywhere to the point that the injury to Percy Harvin was losing a luxury item. Russell Wilson already made his jump to the stratosphere in the second half of last season, and he'll have them rolling right alongside their deep power running game. Defensively, they're nasty and will let you know about it, especially their league-best secondary. They have enough to edge the 49ers and with it, get precious home field in the playoffs.

The 49ers are full speed ahead in Colin Kaepernick's first full season as their starting quarterback, and their innovative offense will continue to stay a little ahead of the defenses trying so hard to figure it out. Kaepernick's accuracy and brilliance as a passer is the real story, not his great running. Their offensive line and defensive front seven are the usual backbones, and the top wild card is a lock if they can't beat out Seattle.

The Rams became a lot tougher under Jeff Fisher last season, and also embraced a physical, defensive attitude. It was felt in the play of end Chris Long up front, all the way through Fisher favorite, Cortland Finnegan in the secondary. Offensively, however, they don't have that same running game with which to pound, and although promising, it's unclear if all their new offensive weapons will come together well right away for Sam Bradford.

Carson Palmer and Bruce Arians team to give the Cardinals a legitimate passing game again and the big plays will be there. But there will be a lot on Palmer and the receivers, as the offensive line and running game still need work. Like the rest of the division, Arizona can attack on defense, but the overall picture still has them several notches below Seattle and San Francisco.